1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a support pillow to give comfort to those individuals who have medical conditions which hinder their ability to support their body normally by their muscle-skeletal system. By providing a stable cushioned support, proper joint alignment can be maintained which will reduce stress on muscles, ligaments and joints.
Many categories of medical patients require special support to provide comfort. Pregnant women frequently develop sleep problems due to back pain, cramps and weight gain. Patients with fibromyalgia experience pain in the cervical and thoracic aspects of their backs. Geriatric patients, and patients who have suffered a stroke, often require additional side support to allow them to sit comfortably in a chair. Patients with painful bone and muscle conditions, such as caused by cancer, often need joint and muscle support for their entire body.
As a registered nurse, I have worked in health care facilities in many capacities, including orthopedics, long term geriatrics, arthritis, fibromyalgia and cancer, particularly bone cancer. I personally suffer from fibromyalgia which is a condition that affects fibrous and muscle tissues so that any long term period of inactivity causes muscles to tighten and become stiff and painful. Sleep for a fibromyalgia patient is difficult due to waking up with stiffness of the joints.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art pillows adapted to serve the medical purposes described above include cervical neck pillows which may attach in the front to form a doughnut-shaped support, and lumbar pillows for limited support of the lower back.
Another prior art product which has been sold through catalogs is an elongated cylindrical pillow of about 12 inches in diameter and 50 inches in length which allow the user to lie on one side with one end of the pillow placed between the legs for better spinal alignment. Such pillows usually lack the firmness of support required for medical purposes, and provide limited support for only one side of the user's body.
Typical of prior art support pillows are those described in the following patents:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Patentee ______________________________________ 4,197,604 Nakamura 4,173,048 Varaney 4,236,264 Britzman 5,519,906 Fanto-Chan 682,871 Hogan, et al. D 124,296 Thompson ______________________________________
Foreign Patents and Publications:
UK 838455 PA1 UK Appln. No. GB 2198341 A
All of the above pillows are relatively compact, usually less than 18 inches in length, and while they may be U-shaped to cradle the user's head and neck, they do not extend substantially further than the user's chest or shoulders and furnish little or no support to the back or the rest of the body.